So Thankful to Brier Creek Animal Hospital. They were able to do a same day appointment for my elderly sick kitty. They have continued to check in on my kitty to make sure she is doing well and happy to answer any questions. You can tell they really care about their customers and clients. They have given me reassurance that some other hospitals have not been able to provide. Brier Creek Animal Hospital will be my pets forever vet from here on out! Thank you To the Staff
Watching your dog go through surgery is hard enough without wondering afterward if it needed to be that hard. My golden retriever has had three separate mast cell tumors removed (all 1cm, all subcutaneous) giving me a side-by-side comparison of the doctor’s surgical decisions and effects. Two of these surgical mass removals were done at AHBC by Dr. Goetz in March and April of this year. The third was done recently by a different vet. The difference is stark and scary enough that I think other pet owners deserve to know before making this choice for their own animals.
Dr. Goetz performed two of these mass removal surgeries at AHBC. The first, a 1cm mass on his rib cage on the right side, resulted in a 6-inch incision, a third of his body shaved, horrible swelling and bruising, and the incision opened up entirely due to tension, requiring a 5-week recovery and full bed rest. The second, also a 1cm tumor behind his neck, resulted in a 10-inch incision. After both surgeries, he was completely unresponsive and lethargic for 12 hours - did not move a muscle all night, did not acknowledge us when we talked to him due to how drugged he was leaving AHBC.
We recently had a third, identical-sized (1cm), identically-located mast cell tumor removed on the opposite side of his rib cage by a different vet. That surgery resulted in a 3-inch incision, little to no swelling, and he was alert, eating, using the bathroom normally, and moving comfortably (though groggily as expected after anesthesia) the same day. The new vet explained that she is required by regulation to make the incision on the rib cage follow the natural line of the ribs to avoid too much tension. This did not happen at AHBC with his first surgery - the incision went perpendicular to the ribcage, too much tension, leading it to reopen with all the sutures busting after surgery. The poor recovery was attributed to being just a tough spot on his body at AHBC when our new vet said it would be very easy to remove and recover (which it was).
Medication doses tell a similar story: Dr. Goetz had him on 1200mg gabapentin, 300-400mg trazodone, cephalexin, and carprofen every 12 hours for weeks for pain and recovery management. The same surgery at the new vet required only 300mg gabapentin and some Benadryl every 12 hours.
To be fair, Dr. Goetz did achieve clear margins both times, and we’re grateful the tumors were fully removed. AHBC was great to us prior to the surgeries with our normal vet visits and they were very patient with our dog who is fearful of tools. But the incision sizes, complications, medication load, and recovery time were all dramatically higher than necessary for the same procedure we had elsewhere and it cost several hundred dollars more. If your pet needs surgery, I’d strongly encourage getting a second opinion before choosing AHBC.
I have a very difficult kitty (whom is quite infamous now around the office, I'm sure) who has FLUTD and arthritis, among other things, and I have always trusted the staff to take care of my precious boy. He isn't always happy to see them, but Dr. Goetz and her team go out above and beyond to make sure every concern is addressed. I've been with them for a long time. I haven't had any major complaints, and they have been the best care team I've had. And, believe me... I've vet hopped around, especially with my two kitties who are now romping around the rainbow bridge. I've had my fair share of vet care that's left a bad taste in my mouth. Several times Dr. Goetz herself has stayed after closing hours just to see results of labwork, or xrays. Staff reaches out for updates if they haven't heard from me in a while. Now, if only Gideon stops snarling at the sweet, poor staff the moment he sees a syringe!
Dr Goetz is an amazing vet. My cat was had one paw hurting and could not walk on it mewing all morning and had not eaten. Animal Hospital Brier Creek took her in even though they had a full day. Dr Goetz and her great assistant took care of my cat Maddie and now she is back to herself- highly recommend this place.
My 18 year old ill cat stopped eating & drinking over a weekend. I called first thing on Monday morning & was told that they were booked but would check with Dr Goetz to see if they could squeeze me in, which they did. Dr Goetz was wonderfully kind & sympathetic & didn’t rush her treatment, which was euthanasia. I know that we often must wait to see a vet, but sometimes unforeseen situations occur (such as this time) & I so appreciated Dr Goetz & her immediate help.
